New Bay Trails Bike Bridge Open Near Oyster Bay

I had the great pleasure of checking out the newly constructed Bay Trails San Leandro Slough Bridge yesterday, which now connects the bike trail along Ron Cowan Parkway to the bike trail that skirts Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline and then continues on to the Hayward shoreline.

Formally called the Bill Lockyear Bay Trail Bridge, the 350-foot structure was supported by multiple regional, state, and federal funds and opened just about two weeks ago. Its existence makes it possible for Alamedans to ride all the way from Bay Farm Island, down along Ron Cowan Parkway (which, going south, has both a bike lane and a dedicated bike path), past the airport (hello 747s!), under the underpass (still on a bike path), then along through a salt marsh, over the San Leandro Slough, and along Oyster Bay.

The bridge’s opening also now gives the Bay Area a 300 full miles of San Francisco Bay Trail, which is administered by the Association of Bay Area Governments.

My only complaints about the ride had nothing to do with the new bridge. Coming home (north) along Ron Cowan Parkway, I discovered that the bike lane marking is so faded as to be invisible, which is a little nerve-wracking given how fast the cars travel on that road. (Not that there are many cars — but that’s a whole other story.) And riding along Harbor Bay Parkway (behind the golf course) on a road bike is getting darn near impossible, what with all the tree roots and potholes and bumpy asphalt. What’s up with that?

If you want to visit the bridge without dealing with these issues, you can drive down to the parking lot of the Oyster Bay Regional Park, and walk (or ride) along the water to the bridge. But even with the bumps and the faded lane marks, this is an incredible ride from Alameda.